Manufacture of gas-incandescents



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL AUER VON \VELSBAOH, OE VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGNOR TO THE VELSBAGH INCANDESOENT GASLIGHT COMPANY, OF NE\V JERSEY.

MANUFACTURE OF GAS-INCANDESCENT3.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,531, dated August 20, 1889. Application filed March 31, 1888. Serial No- Z69,204. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL AUER VON WELS- BACH, a subject of the Emperor of Austria- Hungary, residing at Vienna, Austria-Hungary, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas-Ineandescents, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of that class of gasincandescents for illumi- IO natin g purposes which are known in the \Velsbach incandescent gas -lighting system as mantles, consisting of hoods, caps, or frames composed of a net-work of incombustible and infusible earthy oxides that are capable of I 5 emitting light when the mantle, hood, or frame is placed over or in the flame from a gasburn er. These mantles, hoods, or frames are made by saturating a woven fabric of light net-work threadssuch as cottonwith a solution of the rarer metals, which produce earthy oxides, and subsequently consuming the combustible foundation fabric, leaving a skeleton-like hood, cap, frame, or mantle composed entirely of a net-work of the earthy ox- 2 5 ides resulting from the decomposition by heat of the metallic salts contained in the solution employed for impregnating the fabric. This mantle, though light and fragile, will maintain its form and continue effective as an illu- 3o minant for many hours.

The present invention consists in certain improvements in the manufacture of gasincandescent mantles, as hereinafter described and claimed.

5 The foundation textile fabric consists of a webbing, preferably tubular, and woven seamless in any suitable or well-known manner. This webbing, after thorough cleansing, is cut into pieces of suitable length, which pieces of webbing are now ready to be impregnated with incandescing material.

An aqueous solution of the salts of the rarer metals that produce earthy oxidessuch as thorium, zirconium, cerium, lanthanum, and

yttrium, preferably in the form of a nitrate or acetate of their oxides-is employed.- for saturating or impregnating the said piece of mantle-forming fabric. Enough of the solution of metallic salts is put into a flat bowl to impregnate, say, ten to twenty mantles. The mantle foundation fabric is drawn through the liquid and thoroughly soaked. It is then made into a roll and squeezed out. The squeezed-out mantles are hung in a dryingroom from one to two hours. They are then 5 5V removed and are ready for the application of a fixing-fluid, such as a solution of nitrates of magnesia and alumina, or of the rare metals that produce earthy oxides. For this purpose the npper end of each mantle is dipped 6c in a vertical position in the fixing-fluid to the depth, say, of one twenty-fifth of an inch. It

is then left for a few minutes and taken out and rubbed or rolled between the fingers until the fluid has been well distributed throughout the upper end. Great care must be taken not to have the fixing-fluid touch the mantle in any other place, as it would cause yellow spots on the mantle when heated. It is also necessary that not too much fluid be soaked up. After fixing, the mantle is again dried, and may be hung, with fixed ends downward, over the edge of a bowl in the dryingroom.

The platinum wire used for attaching the upper end of the mantle to its support is cut into suitable lengths and. threaded into a platinum needle, and is sewed into the upper part of the mantle from side to side. \Vhen the wire has been sewed in half-way round, it is then d rawn through until one-half an inch remains on the outside. The sewing is then continued all the way round and the wire drawn through until there is a loopsay three-fourths of an inch long-left at the point half-way round the mantle. The loop is 110w twisted close to the mantle, and then from the ends of the loop the top of the mantle is pushed toward the center, care being taken to make the folds as even as possible 96 until the opening is reduced to the diameter of about two centimeters. The two ends of the loop are then twisted up and the mantle is held in its new form. The mantle-forming fabric is now attached to a metal supportingrod by twisting the projecting portions of the platinum wire around opposite sides of a ring on. one end of the said rod. If the opening in the top of the mantle has lost its shape, it will be necessary to reform it by dilation with 1 oc a pointed. glass rod. The mantle is now ready for burning, to consume the foundation.fabric,

by means of a Bunsen burner. Should any deep folds remain in the mantle-forming fabric, they should be carefully removed prior to burning, care being also taken that the small end of the mantle has a round opening.

The first step in burning is to apply a Bunsen burner so that the flame plays on the upper and small end of the mantle. As soon as the mantle has caught fire the burner is removed and the mantle allowed to burn downward. Should the mantle only glimmer and smoke, the burning may be quickened by blowing or by again bringing the flame in contact with it. The mantle should burn evenly all around, not rapidly on one side and slowly on the other.

When the fire has reached the bottom of the mantle, great care must be taken that the edge does not turn inward, which is the tendency of all mantles. To prevent this a glass rod or platinum wire is introduced into the bottom, and the mantle kept open until the fire is out and the contraction has stopped. After the mantle has stopped glowing the parts that may project beyond the rest are brought into contact with the outer edge of the Bunsen flame. This causes such projections to harden and shrink back. The mantle is now placed over the Bunsen flame, so as to cover it, and carefully lowered. After the flame has been burning in the upper part of the mantle for a short time this part of the mantle can be given its proper shape by drawing and rubbing or pressing it against the lip of the burner, and at the same time the mantle is steadily raised,so that the successively lower portions come into contact with the flame and are straightened out. It is through this straightening process that the mantles can be given a perfect form. Any crookedness in the mantle may be removed by gently rubbing the inside of the mantle against the burner and at the same time drawing the mantle slowly upward.

As the upper portion of the mantle must be the strongest, the fixed portion is particularly brought in contact with the flame. For this purpose the supporting-rod is inverted over the flame, so that the upper part of the mantle is strongly heated for several moments. The mantle is now ready for annealing, which is done by suspending it over a lighted gasburner for fifteen or twenty minutes. It is then .ready for use.

As a result of exposing the mantle to heat in the manner above described, the foundation fabric or webbing is completely destroyed or consumed, the salts of the impregnating solution are decomposed, the acid being driven off, and the fragile skeleton-like body that remains, or mantle proper, is composed entirely of incombustible and infusible earthy oxides.

The conversion of the impregnated mantle fabric by heat in the manner described is facilitated by adding to the impregnatingliquid some ammonia nitrate.

Instead of using the foundation fabric in tubular form, it is obvious that it may be employed in any suitable shape, according to the form of mantle required.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is- The herein-described method of manufacturing mantles or frames for incandescent illumination, which consists in impregnating a textile fabric with a solution of the salts of the rarer metals that produce earthy oxides, then drying the fabric and afterward applying to its upper end a fixing-fluid of a metallic salt in solution, then again drying and attachin g a platinum wire to the upper end of the mantle, then exposing the mantle to heat for the purpose of consuming the textile fabric and decomposing the salts of the solutions with which it was impregnated, thereby leaving the mantle composed entirely of incombustible and infusible earthy oxides, and finally annealing said mantle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL AUER VON lVELSBACH.

\Vitnesses:

FRED WILLIAMS, EDMUND JUssEN. 

